Hundreds of fleeing residents return after Boko Haram attacks in Borno communities

Hundreds of fleeing residents of Shindifu, Kirbutu, Debiro, Shaffa, Tashan Alade communities and Azare the headquarters of Hawul local government area in Southern Borno Senatorial District have started returning back home to count their losses following a deadly armed Boko Haram invasion on Saturday evening.

These coordinated and simultaneous attacks come barely 48 hours after insurgents attacked a nearby community of Garkida town in Adamawa state, precisely on Christmas eve.

Sources told our correspondent that an unspecified number of civilians were killed and injured including a 90 -year old man name withheld who was killed with his house set ablaze in Shaffa town.

Another source revealed that scores of the insurgents were also killed as military airstrike engaged the insurgents, unfortunately, quite a number of Churches, shops, telecommunications masts and other private and public structures were razed down in the affected communities.

Hawul is predominantly a Christian community and about 200km drive from Maiduguri the state capital without having any military formation in the entire Council area since the emergence of Boko Haram.

Narrating his ordeal, Mallam James Ishaya, a resident of Shaffa town said, the insurgents had operated for more than 10 hours without any ground troops to repel the deadly attack, only for an airstrike and efforts from some hunters/vigilantes who were later overwhelmed by the superior power of the insurgents that invaded in large number with guntrucks, arms and ammunitions.

He regretted that most of them ran and slept in the Bush and mountains with their kits and kins only to return home this Sunday morning counting their losses.

Unconfirmed reports also have it that some policemen were among the casualties including civilians.

All efforts to get confirmation from the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Edet Okon proved abortive at press time.